Regional Accrediting Organization to Broaden Reach
HEADLINES
Go East (or North), Regional Accreditor (Inside Higher Ed, February 26, 2020) “Freed by new U.S. rules, the accrediting agency for California, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands will review colleges outside its region -- the first regional accreditor to make such a move. Said Judith S. Eaton, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation: ‘This announcement by WSCUC is an important development in the life of regional accreditation. There has been much discussion over the past several years about the feasibility of regional accrediting organizations broadening their reach. This is also an example of innovation in accreditation, something that CHEA has long encouraged. We will all learn from WSCUC’s experience here.’”
Western US Accreditor to Break Rank on Regional Boundaries (Education Dive, February 26, 2020) “The regional accreditor of Western U.S. colleges announced Wednesday that it will consider some proposals to accredit institutions outside of its historical geographic boundaries.”
California Accreditor, Responding to DeVos Rules, Eyes Broader Reach (Politico, “Morning Education” [after opening link, scroll down page to see item, February 27, 2020) “The regional college accreditor for California, Hawaii and several U.S. territories in the Pacific announced on Wednesday that it will consider accrediting some schools outside of that geographic area in response to the Trump administration’s recent overhaul of federal accreditation rules.”
Education Department Launches Investigation of ACICS (Inside Higher Ed, February 28, 2020) “U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told a House education appropriations subcommittee that the department has launched an investigation of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools’ accreditation of a South Dakota university that appears to have no faculty, staff or classrooms.”
Changing Credentials in College Accreditation (The Regulatory Review, February 25, 2020) “Due to a recent rule issued by the U.S. Department of Education, the United States could soon see a nationwide explosion of access to brick-and-mortar college campuses and online learning programs. But will increased educational access come at the cost of quality control? Opponents of the new rule on college accreditation and authorization for distance education argue that the widespread access it will promote carries widespread risks. The Education Department, on the other hand, defends its new rule as delivering on the Trump Administration’s promise to eliminate harmful government bureaucracy.”